Predictions for the Miami Dolphins 2012 season

The Miami Dolphins kick off their 2012 season in just 2 days against the Houston Texans. Most fans see this as a rebuilding year for the Dolphins, but that doesn’t mean we can’t get excited each and every week to watch the team we love! Dolphins football will keep us entertained (we hope) from now until January. We will get to see a young quarterback grow before our very eyes. We’ll get to see how quickly the new offensive and defensive systems take shape. In particular, I’m interested to see how Joe Philbin’s up-tempo version of the west coast offense performs.

Every single ‘expert’ agrees that this season will be a long one for the Dolphins. Peter King of SI.com thinks the Dolphins will finish 4-12. Great! Mike and Mike in the Morning both think the Dolphins will finish 5-11. Whoo hoo! Clark Judge and Pete Prisco of CBSSports.com both think the Dolphins will finish in the basement of the AFC East. Right where we want to be! FoxSports.com has the Dolphins listed at #30 in their power rankings. Wonderful!

Honestly, none of these experts are right 100% of the time. Who had the 9-7 Giants winning the Super Bowl? Who had Tebow and the Broncos beating the Steelers in Pittsburgh in the playoffs? Who had the ‘Dream Team’ Eagles missing the playoffs? I’m not saying these guys don’t know what they’re talking about because they all hold very high positions at multi-billion dollar companies. BUT, until the games are actually played, no one knows how the season will play out. Did anyone have the Dolphins going from 1-15 in 2007 to 11-5 in 2008? Nope. Sure, there were a lot of reasons the Dolphins won that AFC East title, but that’s what happens in an NFL season. Injuries happen. Teams out perform expectations. Teams under perform. That’s why we watch!

Here’s what I think, I think the Dolphins are going to struggle early as they get used to their new systems and as Ryan Tannehill adjusts to the NFL. The Dolphins are rebuilding their offense and defense to fit their new systems, so some players on the roster don’t exactly fit. Ryan Tannehill started only 19 games in college, so he needs playing time to gain the experience he needs to improve. The Dolphins are a very young team, so they should improve as the year goes on…but it will be too late for them to make the playoffs. Here are my predictions (that will surely be wrong) for each game of the season, based on what we know right now:

@ Houston Texans – Loss

vs. Oakland Raiders – Loss

vs. New York Jets – Win

@ Arizona Cardinals – Loss

@ Cincinnati Bengals – Loss

vs. St. Louis Rams – Win

@ New York Jets – Loss

@ Indianapolis Colts – Win

vs. Tennessee Titans – Win

@ Buffalo Bills – Loss

vs. Seattle Seahawks – Win

vs. New England Patriots – Loss

@ San Francisco 49ers – Loss

vs. Jacksonville Jaguars – Win

vs. Buffalo Bills – Win

@ New England Patriots – Loss

Adding all of that up, I have the Dolphins finishing 7-9, going 2-4 in the AFC East. This is obviously subject to change depending on how the season plays out (injuries, etc.). The Dolphins have a relatively weak schedule, but will certainly have challenges along the way. The last few weeks of the season are tough (Pats twice and a trip to San Francisco), but I think by then the Dolphins will be playing better (or at least I hope!).

Very interested to know what you think and why. Please leave a message in the Phins Forum and let us know what you think about the 2012 Dolphins. We just opened the forum and want to make sure it’s working properly. We appreciate you reading PhinNation.com and look forward to an exciting 2012 season!

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